Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 2010
Fr. Francis Hoffman
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38. The angel Gabriel’s announcement
(Sorry, no audio)
Summary: The appearance of the Blessed Mother to a Belgian youth in Wisconsin was approved today by the bishop of Green Bay as worthy of belief. It is the only approval of a Marian apparition in the United States.The message of the Blessed Mother was to teach the Catholic faith to the children. She appeared to Adele Brise, and said, “I am the Queen of Heaven.” In 1858, the Blessed Virgin appeared in Lourdes, France, and in 1959, she appeared to Adele Brise in what is now New Frankin. In 1871 there was a huge forest fire that destroyed all the surrounding territory, and while the townspeople prayed in the shrine’s chapel, the fire left the chapel and the surrounding six acres untouched. Today the devotion is known as Our Lady of Good Help.
Children need to be taught the faith. By age 14 they should know the Apostles’ Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the 14 Stations of the Cross, and the Ten Commandments.